In To the Stars, the earliest references to Madoka are in Kyouko's mention of "the Goddess" in Chapter 1, followed by a fictionalized representation in the Akemi (Movie) biopic.

Soon, however, it becomes clear that Madoka is still taking an active hand in the affairs of the new world, using visions granted via artifacts of her old life (such as the Ribbon and Clarisse van Rossum at full power) to give people advance warnings of preventable tragedies, among other things. Shizuki Ryouko, our protagonist, has met her at least thrice, in visions of her own.